Shining bright stars
by Alena S. Anigor
Summary: A waffy oneshot featuring /Ranma x Akane/ Read and review please.


Disclaimer: I don't own Ranma ½, or any of these characters. They all belong to Rumiko Takahashi. There- I said it. We can move on with the story. Thoughts are in '...' this thingies.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
"Hey!" Ranma managed to dodge Akane's mallet for the fourth time this day. "You jerk!" she yelled, holding her school bag in one hand, and her mallet in the other.  
  
Ranma was standing on his usual place on the fence, and she was, as usual, standing in the middle of the street, looking angrily at him.  
  
"What did I do now?" Ranma yelled in exasperation. Akane eyed him angrily, her blood boiling inside. She growled, and was ready to give him a decent remark for calling her "uncute", but a voice behind them interrupted her.  
  
"Airen!" Both Ranma and Akane turned around to see Shampoo on her bike, carrying a delivery in one hand. When she reached them, she immediately glomped Ranma, which made Akane even more angry.  
  
The only thing she managed to see, were Ranma's hands. After Shampoo finally let him out of her love embrace, Ranma backed away, and looked at a frowning Akane.  
  
'Oh boy, here it goes...' Ranma thought, as he expected a free trip to Moon by Akane Air services. But even that couldn't occur, when the three of them heard another voice calling behind them.  
  
"Ranchan!" Ukyo was holding a plate in her hand, full of okonomiyakis.  
  
Ranma smacked his forehead. "Airen, you take Shampoo on date?" Shampoo asked, and slid her arms around his neck, looking at him in a seductive way.  
  
Ranma's eyes widened, and he was trying to break free, before he would really end up in the skies above.  
  
"He's mine, sugar, so back off!" Ukyo yelled, and tried to grab Ranma out of Shampoo's hug, but the Chinese girl dropped him, and Ranma fell off the fence with a loud "thud".  
  
"You go away, Spatula girl!" Shampoo yelled back, and took a fighting stance.  
  
"Oh, we'll see." Ukyo said with a threatening gleam in her eyes, and pulled her battle spatula out.  
  
Ranma managed to recover from his state, and now he was up, trying to calm his fiancés.  
  
"Hey, come on, there's no need to-" he was in the middle of his sentence, when the fight began. Spatulas flew around, walls were breaking, and soon the two girls were in a fight, that once again, brought chaos to the streets of Nerima.  
  
Akane was simply standing, too stunned to do anything. She wasn't even angry anymore. "And all this because of..." she whispered, then slowly turned around, and started walking home.Ranma didn't even notice.  
  
He was desperately trying to calm the two girls, but without success. When those two got caught up in a fight, not even Ranma could help.  
  
"Aiya! Ranma my husband!" Shampoo was heard from the distance, as the fight continued over the fences and rooftops.  
  
"That's what you think!" Ukyo answered. Ranma was standing with an exhausted expression,He was glad that they were finally gone.  
  
He sweatdropped when he remembered, that he still has to face Akane's rage. He slowly began to turn around, but he was left confused, seeing nobody there.  
  
"Akane?" he called.  
  
*******************  
  
Akane sighed. She decided that the best thing to do, to stop this chaos, was to cancel the engagement.  
  
"So why does it...hurt so much?" she asked herself quietly, as she was walking down the street. She kicked a little stone, that was in her way, and then she stopped.  
  
She bowed her head, and fought the tears, that were threatening to fall down her cheeks. She shook her head angrily, and wiped her tears away.  
  
'What's the use? He doesn't care anyway...he doesn't care what I do. He...he'll probably be happy.' Thoughts were running in her head, and she finally made the decision.  
  
"And I want him to be happy." She whispered, and turned around the corner. She took a deep breath, and opened the door.  
  
"I'm home." She said aloud, and shut the door behind her.  
  
"Oh, Akane, you're home. Dinner is ready." Kasumi greeted her sister, and went to the kitchen.  
  
"Where is Ranma?" Nabiki asked, counting the money in her hands.  
  
"He's, uhm...busy." she said, and carefully put her schoolbag on the floor.  
  
She took a deep breath. "Everyone..." she said, and when she saw intrigued expressions on her father's, and Mr. Tendo's faces, she continued.  
  
"I have something to say. I know you will not be pleased, but it has to be that way." Akane said that in a very serious way, that made everyone anxious.  
  
****************** Ranma was walking home alone. "Great. Only Kodachi should've shown up, then the picture would've been perfect!" he said annoyed, holding hands in his pockets.  
  
"And where did that tomboy go?" he asked himself, remembering that angry expression on her face.  
  
"Hmph. She'll probably pound me when I get home." He said, and sighed.  
  
He finally reached his destination, and opened the door.  
  
"Hello Ranma." Kasumi greeted him.  
  
"Hey!" he said, but got a bit worried, when he realized that Kasumi was unusually sad.  
  
'Great. She probably exaggerated, and told them who knows what about me.'  
  
Ranma gulped, when he sat at the table, and noticed that everyone was quiet.  
  
" Boy, you really blew it this time." Nabiki said in her usual cynical manner, but her eyes were also holding something he couldn't define.  
  
"Okaaay...what did I do this time?" Ranma asked carefully.  
  
"You mean, you don't know?" Kasumi sat at the table, and looked at a very confused Ranma.  
  
He shook his head.  
  
"I WILL NEVER BE A GRANDFATHER!!" Soun burst into tears, and hid his face in his hands.  
  
"Don't worry Tendo. We'll find a way." Genma patted him on the back.  
  
Ranma gaped at the two fathers, and then at Kasumi.  
  
"Would someone tell me, what's going on?" Ranma yelled in exasperation.  
  
Kasumi hugged her father. "Please father, calm down."  
  
"Oh brother..." Nabiki sighed.  
  
"I don't know what you did, to upset her that much, but Akane came home tonight, and decided to cancel the engagement." Nabiki said simply.  
  
Ranma's eyes widened a bit.  
  
"She what...?"  
  
*******************  
  
Akane was sitting in a lotus position in the dojo. She was trying to meditate, but that wasn't that easy with all the sounds, that were audible from the house.  
  
Akane sighed, and decided to give up. She opened her eyes, and let out a long breath.  
  
'Maybe that was a bad idea.' She thought. She cringed at the "I will never be a grandfather" yell, and now she was listening to her father's crying, Kasumi's attempts to calm him down, and Genma's comments how "he'll never understand that boy".  
  
Akane closed her eyes, and managed a half smile. She already pictured Nabiki taking bets, who'll Ranma choose, now that she's out of the way.  
  
Akane shook her head, feeling another stab in her heart. 'I can't think about that now. I shouldn't. It's not my concern anymore.'  
  
She so was caught up in her thoughts, that she didn't hear someone coming in.  
  
'I should concentrate on my studying. Yeah, that's it. Or maybe my martial arts practices. Or even-'  
  
"Akane." A soft voice called in front of her, and Akane snapped out of her trail of thoughts.  
  
Slowly, she raised her eyes, and a pair of brown ones, met a pair of blue ones.  
  
'Again that pain in my chest. I can't allow my self to, to...'  
  
"Ranma." She said, in a cold voice, as if she was identifying him.  
  
Ranma felt a steady lump in his throat, and he shuddered at her cold voice.  
  
"What is it?" she asked him, forcing herself to look him in the eyes.  
  
The look on his face was all, but the look she expected to see. And she expected a happy smile, a look of relief that he was finally free of that stupid obligation to be her fiancé, but no. The look on his face was unreadable to her.  
  
"Why?" he asked her finally, his voice almost cracking.  
  
Akane was confused now.  
  
"Why? What?" she answered him with her question.  
  
"Why did you do that?" he asked her again.  
  
Akane couldn't believe what she was hearing. Why doesn't he smile? Why can't he jump from joy, for he finally got rid of the stupid macho tomboy. Instead, he was standing in front of her, with this sad expression and this meekly voice.  
  
Akane's confusion was growing every second. And she hated being confused. Being confused, would always make her angry.  
  
"Isn't that what you wanted?" she asked him, raising her voice a bit.  
  
Ranma frowned a little.  
  
"And how would you know that?" he was getting angry himself.  
  
"Oh come on, Ranma! I'm doing you a favor!" she yelled and got up, from her position, so now she was standing in front of him.  
  
"What?!"  
  
Akane's eyes flashed with anger and hurt at the same time.  
  
"Oh come on! I can't fight that good, Shampoo can! I can't cook, Ukyo can! I don't even look cute, both Shampoo and Ukyo are! So what the heck do you need me for?!" in a couple of seconds, she managed to confess everything that was lying on her heart. She didn't notice that, but Ranma was flinching ever so slightly at every word she said.  
  
She was breathing heavily, and now she was trying to calm down, realizing that she couldn't stay cool in the end.  
  
Ranma was, on the other hand, standing with his mouth slightly agape. His hands were helplessly hanging, and he didn't know how to react on that sudden outburst of his, now ex fiancé.  
  
"I...I'm sorry Ranma." Akane finally broke the silence. She looked at him again, and was surprised to see the same sorrow, she felt so many times.  
  
"I'm sorry for...yelling at you. All I want to say, is that I wish you luck with picking the right fiancé. I know you'll pick the right one." She finished her last words in a whisper.  
  
Those words seemed to bring him back from his shock, and he looked at her, with a serious expression. She wanted to leave, but he stopped her, by grabbing her by the shoulder.  
  
"Akane wait!" he said quickly. She turned around, and looked at him, trying to be calm and cool about it.  
  
Ranma was silent for a couple of seconds.' Damn it! Why can't I say it now?'  
  
He shook his head, and then looked at Akane, who was looking at him in expectation.  
  
"I'm sorry." He finally said, and Akane smiled a bit. "It's okay." She said, and wanted to leave again, but he was still holding her hand. "Yes?" she asked him.  
  
"I..." Ranma let her hand go, and now he was fidgeting with his fingers, trying to find the right words, without insulting her.  
  
"About that thing...you said. About not knowing how to fight, and cook, and not looking cute..." Akane was watching him, not comprehending where this conversation is going.  
  
"Well...it's not true! You can fight, I mean, I gotta know, you hit me so hard with that mallet that I think I have several concussions already, and your cooking is not that bad you just have to learn to actually follow the damn recipe, and you're not uncute, except, when you're mad, but you are the cutest thing when you smile,okay?!"  
  
There was a moment of silence between the two of them.  
  
Akane was staring at him in disbelief, trying to catch everything he said.  
  
"And I want...I want you to be my...fiancé again, because only then, I'll be able to pick you from all of them." He said quietly, looking at the floor, his face flushed.  
  
"THAT'S MY BOY!!" Genma yelled in tears, and Soun was on the verge of delirium from joy.  
  
Kasumi angrily pushed them all aside, talking something about being nosy, and without respect, which surprised Nabiki, who winked at the two of them, and left after her sister.  
  
Akane and Ranma were standing still in the middle of the dojo, and then Akane finally broke the uncomfortable silence.  
  
"So...you...really mean that?" she asked him timidly, blushing slightly.  
  
Ranma blushed as well, and scratched his head, having that goofy smile on his face.  
  
"Uhm...sort of..." he said.  
  
"Sort of!?" Akane screeched.  
  
Ranma raised his hands in defense, not wanting to blow this up.  
  
"I do, I do! I meant it!" he yelled, and sighed in relief, when she smiled.  
  
"Oh Ranma!" she exclaimed happily, and hugged him, which made his face red like his shirt.  
  
Akane backed away a little bit, and looked him in the eyes. They were very close, and the tension was growing rapidly.  
  
Ranma gulped at the sight of her eyes, and her sweet smile, but decided to do the only thing he wanted to do right now anyway.  
  
He leaned down, and placed his lips atop of hers. His hands slid unconsciously around her tiny waist, while she slid her hands around his neck, enjoying the sweet taste of his lips.  
  
Moments went by, and they finally broke apart, trying to catch their breath.  
  
"Wow..." Ranma grinned, and then smiled, when he saw her flushed cheeks.  
  
Akane smiled, noticing that his cheeks were red, too.  
  
Ranma coughed.  
  
"So, are you still my uncute, macho tomboy fiancé?" he teased.  
  
Akane frowned a bit, but then smiled, and nodded. "And you're still my pervert." She said, which made Ranma laugh.  
  
"Good." He said, and kissed her forehead. "I'm hungry."  
  
"Oh right, we still didn't have dinner." Akane said, and pulled him out of the dojo.  
  
"Come on. Let's tell them the good news." She smiled, and he grinned.  
  
*****************  
  
Lying on his favorite spot on the roof, Ranma stretched his legs, and enjoyed the feeling of summer breeze caressing his face. He closed his eyes, and images from the happenings from earlier, came to his mind.  
  
He opened his eyes again, and looked at the star streaked sky. He remembered how he always watched the stars, when he was sad, or depressed. And the sight of them could always make him feel better. But now, they seemed somehow different.  
  
Ranma smiled, when he realized, that the stars were shining more brightly than ever tonight.  
  
The end  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ A/N: well, that was it. I hope you liked it. Reviews are always welcome. I tried to keep everyone in character, and I hope my grammar didn't suck much. Wish you a nice day...or night...^^ Bye! YukI 


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